High Sierra Topix

It really annoys me that each entity has different regulations regarding what is an "acceptable" bear can. The Interagency Grizzly Council approves an Ursack but not Bearikade. Why is that exactly? I would think that if a grizzly can get into a Bearikade, it would also be able to get into the Urasack. I suspect it is the different ways and bear environments of the tests. And then each brand also has a list of exact models that are accepted or not.

I am interested in actual reduction in the chance a bear will get my food. Seriously, in Wyoming I am not too concerned about what is "accepted". There has never been any enforcement. The grizzly population is quite low compared to black bear. In fact, I have never even seen a grizzly yet. I have always used my Bearikade and felt fine about it. Am I wrong?

Each managing entity has a different set of political contributors.

The inconsistencies are frustrating and it is a politically driven. I heard it would take some lawsuits. When I worked in Glacier NP, for 2 years, the first year people were advised by NPS to do bear hangs at the centralized backcountry campgrounds. I had my bearikade. I was asked to hang my bearikade, i never laughed so hard. So other hikers would feel comfortable. Soo ridiculous.

Then the next year, they pulled a 180 degree switch and were handing out ursacks with every reservation. I met the bear guy and his frustration with the park was quite evident. Grizzlies and black bears have been using tools and stumps to get food from hikers for years. I don't understand the point of the agency and its role with the parks. Glacier NP was super annoying about climbing, closing trails at night, off trail travel, snow, and camping. They have some really antiquated ideas about nature and wildlife and recreation.

When I worked in yosemite, despite the approval from agency, they did not use the ursack because of the defect or user issue with ursacks when they first came out. The bear team tried them and did not approve. Since then despite changes to the product, the bear team will not approve. And from what I have heard they have not tried the new product post change in ownership for the company. Same goes for SEKI. I will say our bears are highly socialized in yosemite. But the in the backcountry, I've never had any problems. Every year there are some trouble bears in some areas, one near charlotte lake comes to mind, the lady bear on top of snow creek trail in yosemite, she likes to throw the bear cans down the canyon. Rangers have to go find them every year. One year they collected soo many! She has been doing this for years.

The inconsistencies are annoying and there should be more transparency about bear cans and the approval process for parks.

The number of stories I've heard of ursack failures from people who put them up the right way will keep me from using one.

I have used; Ursack, Bearikade, Bear Vault, Garcia as well as the standard "hang". Never had an issue with bears getting the food. Each have their problems with user-error and I too, have heard of failures for all of these. I am also skeptical of the need of any of these when at high altitude where a bear would have to travel many miles of inhospitable terrain to reach my camp; or in late season when the bears have already migrated to lower altitudes.

Totally solid point and one I wondered about last year after not seeing a single bear above 9000 ft the entire summer in Sequoia. Matter of fact, I've never seen a bear above 8000 ft in 5 years of hiking/backpacking in Sequoia.

First time I used a bear canister was on a trip to the Tablelands in Sequoia Park in 2000. We camped one night at Moose Lake - totally barren above tree line. Another group was already camped there when we arrived. They told us that they had to stay up all night (in shifts) to guard their food (no canisters) from a prowling bear. Didn't bother us with our canisters.
-Phil

Link: https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2 ... dbear.gov/

What used to be a consolidated and coordinate effort to research, set policy, and educate the public is no more, i believe. While measures provided by the group Wandering Daisy presented (Inter-agency Grizzly Bear Council) are taken into consideration, the Sierras have a different species of bear that acts differently (IGBC only recommends solutions for ID, WY, WA, and MT). A one-policy saves all approach just doesn't work when different populations learn different habits. Each unit has to manage their people encounters differently. Yosemite uses a shotgun approach in the valley and bear can use everywhere else, SEKI uses militant bear can compliance, and the FS sets regulation depending on problem populations.

It really isn't the bear's fault, it's us - the stupid human's fault. Too often it is the under-educated and less experienced folks that I witness having problems. Outdoor recreation has exploded and education initiatives are slow to catch up. (LNT being fully explained at permit pickup is only a recent thing, I remember showing up, grabbing the paperwork, and off to hiking. Now I get reintroduced to LNT every time. I don't mind; and in fact tend to have fun with it.) The ease of information to get out has improved and what was once an easy process is now one that gets grumbles from most long-time and experienced of us. But, that's how things are changing.

Forest units (NPS, FS, BLM) have to set policy to cover the lowest-common denominator. Which is not the bears, but the people.

Anecdotally, I've not had a single issue in the 40+ years of backpacking and camping in the Sierras. Everywhere from Quincy down to Kennedy Meadows (south). I have found it best to understand the behaviors of where you are heading. For areas in popular corridors, and especially those in high use/impact areas with a history of increased bear activity - particularly those identified in the NPS and NFS systems where cans are mandated - I have assessed recent reports, talked with rangers, and determine what approach to use to secure my food. Sometimes that approach means changing up where I camp so as to not be in the dense area; sometimes it's just bringing the stupid can; sometimes I've assessed that hanging is perfectly fine. Bears have been at it far longer than we have; it's not their habits that are wrong, it's ours. When we visit their habitat, I feel that people lose sight that bears are opportunists always looking for their next meal. We moan and groan about them, but it's our habits that are the root problem. The bear couldn't care, it's hungry and our food is more convenient than their natural selections. We just need to make it harder, and if it means complying, then we *should*.

We all hate cans. I use mine mostly as a foot rest at my computer desk. They're bulky, heavy, and while they have their utility they also weigh the same empty or full and take up the same volume. Backpacks really aren't designed to carry this awkward rigid object and often they're jammed at the top of our pack - where they "fit" - messing up our scientifically balanced packing styles. But... but, they do protect your stuff if used correctly. One additional downside is that they're costly.

Bags - affixed to trees or hung from them. While lightweight and convenient, the trade off for weight and shaping savings comes a lack of protection. They're bags. Ursac, when tied correctly, thwarts advantageous bears. I've set camp in spots with discernible bear activity (tree markings, fur, spotting, spraying) wanting to encounter a bear, but seem to be just annoying enough to only observe them from afar. Even doing things the right way has been enough to thwart them. I love my Ursac. But, I also understand the level of protection it provides and accept that risk.

Unfortunately the cycles are set and habits have been formed on both sides. We humans are too stubborn to learn, and too reluctant to say something when we see things that could be done better. Again, it is our habits that suck.

I use my can primarily to thwart mice, chipmunks, and the other small woodland creatures. I've been places at night where looking out my tent, the ground seemed to have come alive. They're the ones that seemed to wreak havoc on my food supplies in the past - bears, never once. I just think of it as food storage, not a "bear canister". But maybe I've just been lucky.

JayoftheMtns,

well said and you bring up so many valid points that we all seem to forget, thanks for your insights